Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Explains Why He Didn't Support Shaq At First

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Oklahoma City Thunder v Los Angeles Lakers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reacts on the court after LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently spoke about his relationship with Shaq.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the best players in the entire history of the NBA. Throughout his career, he was able to reach a plethora of heights. Overall, he finished his career as the league's all-time leading scorer. More recently, this record was broken by LeBron, however, this does not take away from Kareem's legend. He is still a top-three player ever, and if you know anything about basketball, then you respect Abdul-Jabbar for all that he accomplished. He was a trailblazer who remains highly respected by all.

Interestingly enough, much has been made of his relationship with another Lakers legend, Shaquille O'Neal. The night that LeBron broke the record, Kareem was on the NBA On TNT broadcast. During the interview with the Inside The NBA crew, Abdul-Jabbar cleared the air with Shaq over rumors that they didn't like each other. Overall, it was a touching moment as Kareem praised Shaq for all that he did. Subsequently, Shaq did the same noting that he always looked up to the Lakers legend.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Talks Shaq

During an interview with Clutch Points over All-Star weekend, Abdul-Jabbar explained the origins of the Shaq beef rumors. Simply, Kareem didn't initially support Shaq because he wanted the big man to become the best version of himself first. “I made up for a lot of time with Shaquille yesterday," Kareem revealed. "He interviewed me, you know, we just got a lot of things straight. He used to think I hated him and that was never the case. I was waiting for him to reach his potential before I could support him. I didn’t want to support when he was just a [young guy]. He and Kobe got together and changed everybody’s idea of what he was possible of doing."

Now that the two have touched base, fans can finally put all of the rumors and theories to bed. These two men are legends of not just the Lakers, but the NBA as a whole. It would have been a true shame if they did, indeed, not like each other. That said, let us know your thoughts on the situation, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world.

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About The Author
Alexander Cole
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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